11 – Listen to the Future with Gerd Leonhard and David Houle

The future opens up to a sea of change in the way we communicate with others. As we move from visual to auditory user interfaces, from typing and peering at screens to speaking and listening to others, smart speakers like Siri and Alexa are just the first raindrops of a storm that I believe will sweep away many of the things we’ve become accustomed to. The connection between human and machine is no longer the work of science-fiction. But if you truly want a glimpse of what the future could hold, there are people you can ask who earn a living by thinking deeply about how things will be. They’re called futurists - and I happen to know a couple of rather good ones.



Gerd Leonhard is recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Europe and has focused his career on the impact of technology on our humanity. He has spoken on countless stages around the world and authored several books including his most recently published book, Technology vs Humanity.



David Houle specializes in mapping the future for CEOs and has helped over 4,000 CEOs to date. He played an instrumental role in the launch of MTV and has coined the phrase “the shift age” to describe the current situation we’re in. In addition to advising CEOs, David is an award-winning international speaker and the author of six books, including Brand Shift: The Future of Brands and Marketing.



Gerd and David join me today to share their perspectives on the technology behind the sound revolution and how it impacts brands and organizations. We discuss the opportunities and threats of this new voice-based technological world and how we’re moving toward a world more focused on speaking and listening rather than typing. We discuss why Gerd believes AI technology is on the cusp of being as good as human understanding in terms of context, connotation, and semantics and the social-cultural changes we can expect as smart technology continues to advance. We also discuss why brands will need to be strategic when directing their focus on sound and how technology will ultimately rehumanize marketing, bringing us back to the original context of an individual conversation.


























“We have to embrace technology, but we should not become technology. And that difference is sometimes hard to tell.”
Gerd Leonhard







This week on the Sound Business Podcast:




Why Gerd believes we’re moving toward a world more focused on speaking and listening, rather than typing



The ‘Vocal Toolbox” and how AI technology still has room to improve in this area



The social-cultural impact of AI technology advancing to understand context, connotation, and semantics



Possible challenges associated with protecting user data



Could mobile apps be a thing of the past



The social benefits and implications of an AI technology-driven future world



Understanding AGI (artificial general intelligence) and how we can avoid dehumanizing experiences related to conscious AI



Being proactive and precautious regarding the use and distribution of AI technology



Why brands will need to make calculated, strategic decisions when embracing audio-based intelligent agents in their marketing strategies



Using branded content to ‘pass through’ future gatekeepers and the importance of creating valuable branded content



Embracing the conversation aspect of humanity in your marketing efforts



The three forces of The Shift Age



How audio is currently the fastest growing form of marketing



Lessons brand marketers can learn from audio streamers



How becoming a conscious brand will impact your success in the audio-intelligent future world and what brands can do to become a conscious brand




Resources mentioned:




The Audio Revolution



Book: Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control by Stuart Russell



The Rise and Rise of Podcasting with Toby Goodman, Leo Hornak, Todd Cochrane, Jay LeBoeuf, and Brady Sadler